last day of 16

we all know 2020 was a year like no other. it was the year you turned 16, just weeks into our national shutdown.  we celebrated that day with a car parade complete with firetrucks. your friends couldn't come over and hang out back then. little did we know we'd only just be seeing some light here a whole year later. here we are. the eve of your 17th birthday. you are fully vaccinated. you've spent your entire 16th year in a mask, socially distant, no job, very little sports til now. your drivers permit completely on hold because drivers school shut down. right before the pandemic you had really found your place. you discovered you love filming movies with your friends. it became your passion that was completed sidelined by covid. it's been a year of doing the right thing, even when it hurt. and i am so proud of you. i know you've missed out on so much, sacrificed so much, but i hope you are proud of yourself too. you kept your family and community safe. i know it was not easy. 

happy last day of 16 kellen and cheers to an amazing 17.

love you, 

mom

16 was:

• school shut down and went fully remote to finish your sophomore year
• long curls to a short cut 
• masks, hand sanitizer, social distance
• after many months of waiting, you earned your driver's permit. now it's practice practice practice.
• socially distant fire pit nights
• watching movies online with your friends
• the election
• in fall you returned to in person school 4 days a week for your junior year. things looked VERY different.
• dressing up as biden 😂 (you really nailed it)
• riding in a car parade in portland celebrating biden's win
• putting the finishing touches on Joker
• among us (pink is SUS). now you and your sister play lots of valorant
• cross country barely happened since our school was in the yellow zone (covid covid covid) spring brought track; running sprints fully masked with no spectators.
• you never needed a covid test.
• you were so excited to finally get your turn for a vaccine. (team Pfizer. THANK YOU SCIENCE!)
• we stayed home, did not eat out. we enjoyed watching stuff on disney plus (thank you Marvel) we ordered a lot of your favorite Chinese take out.
• you maintained honor roll  in this very strange school year. even climbed up into high honors 2 quarters.
• we have not traveled or seen family or our far away friends in almost 2 years. but change is coming.
• you still play trumpet. like to paint your nails. got into fashion. love your dog. miss your friends. joke around with your little sister. love movies. and always make your bed. you're a good help at home and a great talker on the phone. 
• FAVORITES:  drink: coffee oreo milkshakes actress: elizabeth olsen, tv show: The Umbrella Academy, food: pulled pork tacos, movie: Whiplash (though that was a very hard choice) actor: Sebastian Stan, favorite thing to do: make films or watch a film for the first time, favorite song: "Don't Dream it's Over" by Crowded House (he's throwing it back). favorite color: sky blue

last day of 14

 today is your last day of 14.

this was by far the craziest year of your life. it was 2020 after all. a global pandemic. an election year. civil unrest. black lives matter. you turned 14 just 2 weeks after quarantine began. we were all adjusting to the new normal then. fearful to go outside. school became fully remote. all friend contact became contained to screens. we (naively) believed this was temporary and we'd be beyond it "soon". now here i sit, a full year later, and sadly not much has changed. we do know better now how to protect ourselves and others. our small family unit has stayed safe and healthy.  i do finally feel hope for this year ahead (thank you vaccines).  through it all you've handled it with patience and grace. you've never complained about masking up, staying home, keeping others and yourself safe. you have sacrificed so much. you've witnessed some of the worst behavior of humankind this year. i hope the lesson of this mad/sad year is how connected we all are, and when someone suffers we all lose. how we must do better, be better, and make real lasting change. if the future looks more like you, i'm all in. 

i'm always proud of you, but so much more so this year.

14 was:

• shaving you head.
• playing hangman on a white board with our neighbors.
• remote school to end your middle school days
• a parking lot graduation 
• among us (pink is SUS) even dressed up for halloween as pink
• animal crossing 
• the summer of tie dye and bleach dip
• in fall we returned to in person school, your first year of high school. it looked very different from anything we had known.  masks. fully distanced. no cafeteria tables. no activities. you have a heavy honors class load and have been crushing it all year even with all the challenges.
• the presidential election and how you danced when biden was finally announced the winner.
• you sewed a quilt top.
• you painted and redecorated your whole bedroom
• knit a hat
• you had a covid test (so far the only one in our little household to do so)
• still vegetarian 
• you love thai milk bubble tea, spring rolls, BTS, learning a new language, art, the Umbrella Academy, especially Klaus❤️, POSE, succulents... your favorite color is green, favorite food stuffed shells, favorite song "Dare" by gorillaz, favorite movie is still Howl's Moving Castle, like playing Valorant with your brother.
• still dreams of going abroad. her recent interests are Spain, and Italy, though Japan would still be her #1 choice. 
• i call her my tiny activist, sometimes angry activist. she whole heartedly believes in rights for all and will no doubt fight for them. 
• the year of hoodies, but also lacy socks with platform mary janes, fishnets with your doc martens, cardigans and crop tops. 

i love you kid.

you inspire me.

you keep me on my toes.

when you laugh, it lights up a whole room. 

always go for your dreams.

fight for justice and equality.

you make the world better.

i hope 15 is less stressful, safer, and oh so beautiful.

love, merm

last day of 15 ... in the time of covid

fifteen was...

• your first summer job. you worked really hard and then built your own PC with your earnings.
• you ran cross country and track. set a new school record with your relay team and shaved 3 minutes off your cross country time from last season.
• you and your friends started making 🎥 movies. filmed a great production of IT and had a movie screening night with all your friends. 
• started your sophomore year. really liked your courses and teachers.
• covid hit. school stopped. socializing stopped. a new very different life began.
• still play your trumpet. we love going to your concerts.
• got to watch a real live movie production of Someday Summer and were asked to be an extra in the film!
• represented your school at a student athlete conference.
• cheered on Bernie again. and sad to see him leave the race again.
• played lots of fortnite.
• watched LOTS of movies with your friends.

fifteen was a year full of good memories and ending in this strange time of pandemic and social distancing. i hope you can get back to doing all the things you love and being with your friends soon. know we are so proud of you and can't wait to see what sixteen has in store for you.(driving!!!!)

love you!

mom

last day of 13

what i want to remember about 13:

• short hair / to green hair / to longer curly purple hair / back to shaved head
• doc martens with rainbow laces 
• knee high tube socks
• hoodies all day every day 
• first pair of prescription 👓 glasses (purple frames of course)
• attended our first pride parade 🏳️‍🌈 
• teaching yourself how to play the ukulele 
• sax solos in jazz band
• leadership school at camp kieve last april and this february 
• got the part of diana in your school production of anne of green gables
• went vegetarian 
• ramen and thai milk tea with mango pop
• making bead bracelets 
• sewed your first quilt 
• BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE!
• discovered you prefer lakes to the ocean
• love to sit in your room on your phone watching videos with your headphones on.
• favorite things: band~BTS, book & movie ~Call Me by Your Name, color~purple, food~ramen, favorite game~animal crossing, favorite animal~ frogs & snails, song ~ mikrokosmos, favorite flavor ice cream-chunky monkey

last day of 12

last day of eleven

11 was a big year sweet girl.
things i want to remember about 11...

• you taught yourself how to play the ukulele by watching youtube tutorials
• did your dance makeup all by yourself, first time applying mascara
• first time in NYC. saw Cats on Broadway, kicked like a rockette,went to the Top of the Rock, central park, and so much more. then returned a second time for Comic Con.
• always had your nose in a book (harry potter, secret garden, underland chronicles to name a few)
• read the entire Harry Potter series in one summer
• went away for 5 whole days to sleep away camp at Kieve with your whole 6th grade class. i missed you like crazy! while there you did SO many amazing things: climbed high into the tree tops and repelled down, made it to the top of the climbing wall.
• started advanced science and english courses this year which you enjoy
• shaved part of your head! :)
• love ALL things anime, kawaii, and Japanese, even taught yourself how to count to 10 in Japanese 
• you've become obsessed with Sailor Moon, the new Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (jonathan is your fave) ,  funny memes and ALL THINGS SLIME! glitter slime, fluffy slime, clear slime, crunchy slime, cloud slime...
• you have your own made up words that make me laugh, like moother, merm, schnazzy, ececucame, furrfurr to name a few
• always wearing your fun fake 🤓 glasses, cool pins, overalls, and harry potter socks.
• danced in several ceilis.
• ice skated for the first time ever and really liked it, so much so you went again 
• saw Michael Franti in concert 
• really got into watching the winter olympics 
• play the alto sax in concert band, and tenor sax in jazz band.
• were chosen to perform in the 6th grade honors band.
• love being involved; civil rights club, student council, band, and lots of fun with your friends. 
• maybe the biggest milestone this year, you became an AUNT to "tiny child" Harrison. you adore him.

happy almost birthday to you casey shea.

you keep on being the fun, silly, smart, outgoing, strong girl you are. looking forward to 12.

BOOP!

love,

   "merm"

treaters

Halloween 2016 brought to you by Chewbacca and Pikachu :)
I'm so glad they still enjoy dressing up and having fun.
I must admit this was the easiest halloween by far. I sewed nothing.
They both chose these soft zip up pj's to wear.
Kellen already had the mask from his last birthday.
Casey just needed a Pokeball. After searching for one with no luck,
we decided to paint her plastic pumpkin instead.  Instant pokeball.

A fun safe night was had with their buddies.
Bonus, no rain!